Blade Runner Movie Review

Blade Runner (1982)

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Written by: Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples (screenplay), Philip K. Dick (novel)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: S Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah
Rating: R

Plot
A former L.A. cop takes on a job as a blade runner, pursuing and terminating four cybernetic replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.

Verdict
This is an undeniable classic. From it's portrayal of futuristic L.A. and noir style to the ultimate question of what it means to be human, the success of this sci-fi movie relies on all the parts coming together perfectly. The cast is excellent and the visuals remain striking. The question that remains, is Deckard a human or replicant?
Watch it.

Review
There are three versions of the movie, the theatrical version, the director's cut (1997), and the final cut (2007). The final cut is considered the most complete with the theatrical version a much derided studio cut. I watched the director's cut. This removed Deckard's voice-over; reinserted the unicorn dream sequence, and removed the studio-imposed happy ending with Deckard and Rachael driving through the country side with a voice over informing us that she doesn't have a termination date. The final cut has all the same changes, but the dream is longer and a few scenes are more violent.

The cultural impact is huge. Much of sci-fi owes its look to Blade Runner. Surprisingly, this wasn't an immediate hit at the box office.
You don't see opening text crawls much anymore. I guess studios think it too slow, but in this it's quick and effective to let us know about replicants. It's a bit more intellectual and less forced than a character stating facts that should be obvious to the characters. It's a note to pay attention.
I love the opening scene with Leon. He's taking a test, obviously nervous, but we don't know what it means. This test reveals cyborgs. It's a test of empathy, and it seems rather reductionist to use that to determine humanity. Plenty of people aren't compassionate.

It's fun to see L.A. in 2019. It's still very '80s in style, but it's dirty and dark with an Asian influence. It's perpetually night in this world, with neon signs stabbing at the darkness. Fantastic production design is almost its own character. The movie oozes style. While it's not discussed in depth, corporate logos are prevalent, suggesting extensive conglomerate power and reach.

This is a detective story for sure, with Deckard searching for clues. It's an immersive world, but you have to pay attention. This movie is always laying groundwork. Detective stories frequently focus on a murder, but this takes on a new form, questioning life. Deckard begins this movie under the impression that thinking you're alive isn't enough.

Deckard is a former cop/blade runner. His specialty is hunting down escaped replicants. We don't know why he quit, but we're told he's the best. His very job calls into question his empathy. You're hunting down robots that look, sound, and seem like humans. That's got to be tough. He's asked at one point if he's ever taken the test. He hasn't.

There are hints or at least prompts to make us wonder if Deckard could be a replicant. While he's regarded as good at his job, we don't know how long he did that before quitting. He could be some kind of experiment, a more human cyborg.
What does it mean to be human? Is it a desire to live? Is it memories? Deckard meets Rachael and discovers she's a replicant. While it usually takes thirty questions to determine, it took more than a hundred for her. She believes she's human.

I don't like the love story between them. They only have a couple of scenes together. I'd be quicker to buy him taking her away to save her from being hunted. The police know about her and wanted him to take her out. You could tie it in to Deckard's empathy, a way to to prove to himself he's empathetic, trying to disspell the doubts he has about himself. I just wanted a bit more out of the character, and we could have had it. We get no indication of whether he doubts his humanity.

Gaff's final origami figure is a unicorn. He's been making them throughout the movie, but if you watch the director's or final cut this seems to tie to Deckard's dream about a unicorn. Surely it isn't coincidence, but Gaff would only know about the memory if Deckard's memories are implanted.
Assuming it is coincidence, it could be Gaff telling Deckard he's chasing a unicorn, something that isn't real or can't last. Gaff lets Deckard and Rachael run away. His last statement to Deckard, "It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does?" could be taken that everyone dies, or is it more specific to Deckard, implying she won't live and neither will Deckhard. Either way their time may be limited. That's the fun of this movie, deciphering what it all means.

Why is it that Deckard, a well regarded replicant hunter refuses to retire Rachael? Is it because she's the next evolution and he's in awe or has he developed empathy? Life is additive, but Deckard is destructive. The replicants he's hunting become destructive due to the lack of answers and their inability to change their plight. Is it better to know your fate or to live in ignorance?

Maybe Gaff's unicorn is coincidence, a statement on Deckard's failed plight.  After all, Deckard didn't triumph because he's the hero protagonist, he triumphed because Roy Batty's life was predetermined to end. Batty is human in all ways except one, he's artificially created and not biological.